The Namecheap domain renewal price for a .com is now $19.98 a year, plus a $0.20 ICANN fee, since Namecheap’s price change on November 1, 2026. Before that date, a .com renewed at $18.48 a year (per price trackers), so each .com now costs $1.50 more a year to keep. New .com registrations and transfers have a regular price of $15.98, and today both carry first-year sale prices. Prices were checked on November 2, 2026, on Namecheap’s domain price list and its .com price-change notice.
Namecheap domain renewal price for .com and other popular domains
| Domain | Register (first year sale) | Register (regular) | Renew | Transfer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $12.08 | $15.98 | $19.98 | $12.28 (sale; regular $15.98) |
| .net | $12.48 | $14.98 | $18.58 | $12.98 (sale; regular $14.98) |
| .org | $8.48 | $14.48 | $18.98 | $12.28 (sale; regular $14.48) |
| .co | $19.98 | $38.48 | $45.48 | $38.48 |
| .io | $29.98 | $65.98 | $75.98 | $65.98 |
| .ai | No sale listed | $89.98 | $114.98 | $99.98 |
The ICANN fee of $0.20 is added at checkout on .com, .net and .org. The pattern matters more than any single price: the first year is discounted, and renewal is the highest price in every row. A .com that costs $12.08 to register today costs $19.98 a year from the second year. Namecheap also shows a .com offer at $6.48 for new customers only, which follows the same pattern. The jump is biggest on the startup endings: a .io costs $29.98 for the first year and $75.98 a year after that. Premium names are a separate case: our premium domain renewal price guide shows registry premiums renewing at up to $1,300 a year.
Why Namecheap raised its .com prices
Verisign, the registry that runs .com, raised its wholesale price from $10.26 to $10.97 a year on November 1, 2026, according to Domain Name Wire. That’s a $0.71 increase, about 7%, and the most its contract allows in one step. Namecheap’s notice gives no reason for its own change, but the numbers show it went further: renewal rose $1.50, about 8%. The gap between Namecheap’s renewal price and Verisign’s wholesale price grew from $8.22 to $9.01 a year. Our guide to the best domain registrar 2026 compares that renewal with four other registrars.
More increases are possible. Verisign’s contract lets it raise the wholesale price by up to 7% in four out of every six years, with six months’ notice. Each time, registrars like Namecheap set their own retail price on top.
What the Namecheap price increase costs you
| Domains renewed per year | Before Nov 1 (incl. ICANN fee) | Now (incl. ICANN fee) | Extra per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 .com | $18.68 | $20.18 | $1.50 |
| 5 .com | $93.40 | $100.90 | $7.50 |
| 10 .com | $186.80 | $201.80 | $15.00 |
| 25 .com | $467.00 | $504.50 | $37.50 |
For one personal site, the Namecheap price increase is a coffee a year. For a portfolio of 25 domains, it’s $37.50 more each year, and that gap grows with every future increase.
How to pay less for .com renewals
- Renew for several years at once. Namecheap told customers to renew before November 1 to get the old price, which shows the price is set on the day you pay. Renewing a domain for several years now pays $19.98 a year before any future Verisign increase. The cost is paying it all upfront.
- Move domains to an at-cost registrar. Cloudflare Registrar says it charges the registry’s fee with no markup at all. For 10 or more domains, the difference against $19.98 is real money every year. Moving takes time per domain, and our guide on transferring a domain to Namecheap shows how the unlock and transfer code steps work in either direction. If you are choosing between the two biggest names instead, our Namecheap vs GoDaddy comparison runs the numbers.
- Bundle a new .com with hosting. Namecheap advertises up to 60% off .com and .net when you buy shared hosting. That helps only in the first year; renewal is still $19.98. For what the hosting itself costs after the intro term, see our Namecheap hosting renewal price breakdown.
What happens if your .com renewal fails
Missing a renewal costs far more than the price increase. Namecheap’s grace period guide says that after a .com expires, you have about 30 days to renew it at the normal $19.98. After that, the domain enters a Redemption Grace Period of 30 days, sometimes longer. Namecheap’s redemption price list shows that restoring a .com in that period costs $89.98: the renewal price plus a $70.00 redemption fee. Restoring a .io costs $135.98 and a .ai $419.96.
Auto-renew prevents this. Namecheap’s billing guide says auto-renew tries to renew a domain 30 days before it expires. It takes the money from your Namecheap account balance first, then from your saved cards, starting with the default card. PayPal can’t be used for domain auto-renewals. If a payment fails, Namecheap tries again every 24 hours until the renewal goes through or the domain expires. You switch it on for each domain in the Domain List. Keep a working card saved, because auto-renew can’t charge an expired one.
Is Namecheap still a good place for your domains?
For one to five domains, yes. The Namecheap domain renewal price went up $1.50, or $7.50 a year across five domains, which rarely justifies the work of moving and the risk of a mistake during transfer. For a portfolio of dozens of domains, the at-cost option is worth pricing out, because every future wholesale increase will widen the gap. If you’re new to how domains and hosting are billed separately, domain vs hosting explains the difference.
FAQ
Is the ICANN fee included in Namecheap’s domain prices?
No. Namecheap lists prices without it and adds a mandatory $0.20 ICANN fee per year to each .com registration, renewal or transfer at checkout. A .com renewal therefore costs $20.18 in total.
Did Namecheap raise .net and .org prices too?
Namecheap’s November 1, 2026 notice covers .com only. Today .net renews at $18.58 and .org at $18.98 a year. A separate Namecheap notice changed prices on 226 other extensions from October 6, 2026, so check the price list if you own other endings.
Why is the first year so much cheaper than the renewal?
The first-year price is a sale. On a .com, the $12.08 sale price sits below the $15.98 regular registration price, and renewal at $19.98 is higher than both. On .org, the gap is wider: $8.48 for the first year, then $18.98. Budget for the renewal price, not the first-year one.